Turkish officials refused FBI assistance in investigating the murder of a Syrian-American journalist in İstanbul although the agency has opened up its own probe into the matter.

In September 21, US-born journalist Hala Barakat and her mother Orouba Barakat were found murdered in their flat in İstanbul's district of Üsküdar. The suspect, who was identified as a relative of the victims, identified only by the initials A.B., was detained in the northwestern province of Bursa after being spotted in security footage near the apartment building.

Hala worked as a journalist for Turkish pro-government TRT World before joining pro-Syrian 'opposition' Orient Net English.

A representative of the Barakat family said the FBI’s legal attache in Turkey notified the family that they opened a case into the murder but their capabilities are limited after local authorities declined to cooperate in the criminal investigation, ABC News reported on Tuesday.

The FBI has jurisdiction to open a case because Hala Barakat was born in the US state of North Carolina.